Her Heart Her Terms (Lily and Xavier)

Lily lay in the hospital bed, surrounded by silence. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Xavier standing outside the operating room with his back to her while the doctor's words echoed in her mind.

She knew some things were beyond her control, yet she couldn't stop herself from overthinking about it. Lost in thought, she drifted in and out of sleep until the sound of the door opening jolted her awake.noveldrama

After reaching over to turn on the light, she sat up and looked toward the entrance.

Xavier walked in, dressed in a black shirt, his woolen sweater and overcoat draped over his arm. His steps were light, his breathing deliberately quiet.

The sudden brightness of the light made his dark eyes narrow momentarily. "Why are you back?" Lily asked, puzzled. "Did you forget something?"

His gaze adjusted to the light before meeting her slightly dazed eyes. "Where else would I go if not here?"

"Xyla..." Lily pressed her lips together, the sharp edge she had during the day when criticizing Xyla now completely gone. "How is she?"

"She's in the ICU. No one can see her right now." Xavier placed his coat down before walking over to the window to pull the curtains shut. Then, he began undoing the buttons on his shirt one by one.

Lily lowered her eyes, her gaze inadvertently falling on his abs. "I didn't realize her condition was so serious. I was too direct when I spoke to her."

Standing at the foot of the bed, Xavier frowned at her. "She's just worried about Sarah. Sooner or later, she would've caused a scene. If it hadn't been with you, it would've been with me. It was unavoidable, so don't dwell on it."

"What?" Lily was taken aback. She hadn't expected him to say that. Without thinking, she blurted out, "Then will you let Sarah go for her sake?"

As soon as those words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back. After all, what was the point of asking? Wasn't she just setting herself up for humiliation?

Even if Xyla made it through the next 48 hours, Sarah's imprisonment would still weigh heavily on her, and she could continue to have emotional outbursts.

Could Xavier really stand by and watch Xyla die? Even Lily, who hated Sarah, couldn't make such a cold-hearted decision to let Xyla fend for herself. Not to mention, Xyla had once saved Xavier's life.

"If I let Sarah go, would you agree to it?" Xavier tossed his shirt onto the couch

and changed into loungewear before unfastening his pants.

His movements were fluid, as if their conversation wasn't something serious at all. He casually changed into his loungewear right in front of her, then grabbed his briefcase and sat down on the couch.

"Whether I agree or not probably won't affect your decision, right?" Lily said, knowing all too well that Xavier had never cared about her opinions.

"Then you should get some sleep," Xavier said coldly.

Lily turned over to the side and lay back down before closing her eyes and forcing herself to sleep.

Xavier fixed his eyes on her back, his gaze darkening for a moment. But he quickly suppressed whatever emotions surfaced in his eyes. After all, there was still too much work to be done.

He stayed up all night.

The next morning, before dawn had even broken, a nurse came to find him.

"Mr. Fulton, Ms. Lynde is awake. She wants to see you."

Hearing this, Xavier closed his laptop and put on his coat before walking out.

Lily was half-asleep when she was woken up by the nurse. But she didn't open her eyes; she just listened as Xavier's footsteps faded into the distance.